Gibraltar the Story of my Heart. Dr. Andrew T. Coletti said: "When Johannes Lisiecki first came to the ER I had serious doubts. I did not think he was going to make it. Some of his major organs had already started to shut down and we were scrambling to a bring some order into this chaos. Fortunately he reacted very positive to the medication I had the nurses administer. In a few days he recovered sufficiently to proceed with open heart surgery. In many ways he was a unusual patient since, because of his physical condition and lifestyle he was a least likely candidate for heart disease. Unfortunately his heart would not recover during the three months recovery time and it was concluded that we need to install a defibrillator to support his heartbeat. After that he made steady progress and went back to a regular exercise program which eventually, predominantly consisted of swimming. A year later he approached me with a stunning idea. At first I was not sure how to react but then considering his recovery accomplishments I felt that, what he had in mind was a unusual possibility and that he most likely could do it. I gave him my full support and encouragement to pursue his dream." Challenging Heart patients to make their recovery a work of art, by creating and adopting a new lifestyle after the calamity. You too can do the impossible. jfl
Personal Bio Adventreneur/Author Johannes F. Lisiecki Johannes F. Lisiecki was born in Horrem, Germany and immigrated to Canada in 1959. He has mechanical engineering background graduating as a Machine Tool Mechanic and spoke no English. He left Germany only 6 months after graduation at age 19. In 1967 the Boeing Co. recruiters found him in Toronto, Canada and couldn't do without him. Consequently they brought him and his family to Renton, WA, then known as the jet capital of the world. His skills were so extensive that they even let him work on the first 747. After his contract with Boeing expired he became an independent entrepreneur. His carrier follows a kaleidoscope of successful ventures ranging from, operating various distributorships, building a fitness center in Tukwila, WA, weight loss centers in greater Seattle and a land development company. Disaster appeared in December 2007 in form of major heart failure. The cardiologist told him that when he got to ER "I didn't think you were going to make it" and that the culprit was most likely CHD (a congenital heart defect.) He needed a defibrillator to survive. Within a year he started a personal recovery swim program and has passed the 1,250 mile Heart challenge swim mark. He founded the Heart Challenge Swim Association to inspire other to swim for health. Johannes F. Lisiecki has traveled the World and considers himself an "Adventreneur", a designation which combines the mystique of the adventurer with the daring of the entrepreneur. He has written many articles and was featured in newspapers and magazines in Germany, Canada, the United States and other countries. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil he was featured in Brazil's leading newspaper 'O Globo' with a full page spread. Johannes was the final and certifying editor for the English to German translation of the book "Conman or Saint" which was written by Pulitzer Prize winning author John Fraska. In 1998 he received “The Certificate of Merit” from Writer’s Digest at the National Self-Published Book Awards for "An Adventreneur’s Odyssey" which chronicles his 43,000 mile land expedition through 20 countries of the Americas. He has given over 200 presentations of this story in the United States and Canada. There is no telling what else he may come up with.
